The following invention relates generally to sliding doors. More particularly, an associated frame which circumscribes the door and defines the portal within which the door is slidably disposed includes trim disposed on side and bottom edges of the sliding door adapted to register with associated frame components fastened to the portal so that when the door and/or doors are in abutting engagement with the frame members a tight seal is afforded. The top edge of the door is devoid of a trim member and accordingly upstanding tabs of the side edge trim cooperate with an upper horizontal frame member so that the door is hung in depending relationship from the upper frame member. Variations in dimension of the portal and therefor the frame member's relationship to the door is afforded by a suspension mechanism extending between the upper horizontal frame and the associated side trim to accommodate foundation settling, lack of trueness in rectangular relationship of the frame to the door, warping, bowing and other tendencies which cause doors of this type to jam.
The provision of sliding doors has brought with it a concomitant problem of assuring adequate clearance between the frame circumscribing the door and the door to obviate any binding or similar type of obstruction which interferes with the opening and closing process of the door or window. While lack of trueness in dimensioning the portal to the door or the associated frame may exist at the time of building fabrication, misalignment and dimensional change can occur seasonally or with fatigue in the structural components associated with the portal. Installation problems also exist in new construction to accommodate lack of dimensional trueness when fitting a sliding panel into its associated portal.
The following patents represent the state of the art of which applicant is aware, insofar as these patents are germane to the process at hand:
______________________________________ 246,286 Brinton Aug. 30, 1881 805,846 Kail Sept. 3, 1907 2,784,445 Greig et al Mar. 12, 1957 3,696,560 Hallin Oct. 10, 1972 3,852,916 Laby Dec. 10, 1974 3,896,508 Doan July 29, 1975 4,090,265 Baus May 23, 1978 4,152,870 Knap May 8, 1979 ______________________________________
The patent to Greig et. al. is of significance since they teach the use of a sliding door in which a channel shaped hanger is adapted to engage a side edge of a sliding door. The hanger includes a sidewall 46 (FIG. 6) that has an upwardly extending portion which supports a roller 50 journaled upon a pin 52. The channel shaped hanger is suitably formed so as to allow adjustment from one horizontal plane to another by means of a leaf 60 which cooperates with serrations 67, which when once adjusted, is affixed thereto by means of a screw 68 causing the leaf to engage the serrations. Thus, once adjusted, the roller maintains a fixed position.
Hallin teaches another known prior art technique for an adjustable panel alignment apparatus which as shown in FIGS. 7-11 include a support trackway from which depends the framed panel 50. The framed panel is provided with an adjustment to offset any out of square frames within which the panel may be disposed and includes a control bar 64 provided with two oppositely disposed and inclined slots 66, the center points of which are respectively coincident with vertical slots 58. Axles 60 are therefor engaged not only in the inclined slots 66, but also the vertical slots 58. The panel is aligned with the frame 52 by means of a thumbscrew 68 which is rotated to move the control bar 64 relatively horizontally with respect to a stem 54. The axles 60 carrying rollers 62 engage in both of the slots 58 and 66 to remain horizontally spaced in the vertical slots 58 but with their centers shifted vertically in opposite directions in slots 66 to thereby tilt the panel.
Laby teaches the use of a sliding glass panel held only by two side rails removeably and adjustably mounted on a track. A spring clip 28 is adapted to alter the elevation of a roller 78 which is supported on a hanger 26, the hanger provided with notches 82 which are adapted to register with the spring clip 28 in fixed relationship with the side rails 22 (FIG. 2).
Kail teaches the use of a depending moveable door adapted to ride on rollers in which the lowermost portion of members 21 and 22 depend from the roller and has an arcuate slot 27, 28 which allows angulation of the panel 30 by it typical connection to the slot through members 25 and 26.
Brinton provides a door hanger in which at least one of the rollers which support a sliding door in depending relationship is attached to a side edge thereof.
The remaining citations show the state of the art further.
The instant invention is distinguished over the known prior art in that the sliding doors which are supported in depending relationship from an upper horizontal frame member are supported solely by side trim pieces affixed to the doors, the trim pieces including an upwardly extending tabs having a diagonally disposed slot provided with a roller supported on an axle which passes through the slot, the axle is capable of free motion within the slot itself. The rollers are adapted to ride within trackways carried in the upper frame and therefor prevent binding of the panel by its plural such roller supports since the tendency of any portion of the panel being out of registry with the frame and causing binding is offset by the roller axle's translation along the diagonal slot. The force of gravity tends to maintain the panel or sliding door in such a manner that the top and bottom edges remain in a horizontal plane so that the bottom edge's registry with an associated underlying channel way is not in any way compromised thus sealing, guiding or constraining the panel can occur out of channel can proceed effectively without having portions of the door ride up above the channelway. The mode of installation of the instant application distinguishes itself further over the known prior art since a minimal attention to the dimensional errors can be afforded the person doing the installation. Thus, a somewhat lower skill level is required than would be required in the prior art, and in addition, once the installation has been completed, shifting in the foundation of the building or distortion of the structure's supporting members which would cause the portal associated with the sliding door to become out of square will not have a deleterious effect on the sliding door.
Thus, not only does the structure according to the instant invention provide a lesser degree of criticality in alignment of the various components, it can also accommodate changes to the relationship of the portal to the sliding door as a function of time. Moreover, it is noteworthy that the structure is relatively simple in its components and does not require specialized tools for the installation thereof.
The vertical side channel containing the roller will permit the door panel to be moved up to three-fourths of inch from the channel edge as an accommodation to an out-of-plumb wall.